Summer 1959 Gate Handout

Gomez Mayıs 03, 2022

Today I am sharing scans of a beautiful, full-color gate handout from Disneyland, celebrating the amazing additions to Disneyland in the summer of '59. I believe these were placed inside souvenir guidebooks. When I bought this years ago, it was pretty hard to find in good condition, but now they pop up on eBay fairly regularly, and for a fraction of the price that I paid. So it goes. This is probably familiar to you die-hard Disneyland fans, but some of you may have never seen it in detail.

Here's the beautiful cover illustration - I wish I knew who to credit. Sam McKim? John Hench? Herb Ryman? Bob "Twitchy" Hrblschk?

Here's the middle spread, but I'll zoom in on each half so that you can read the copy, presumably written by Marty Sklar.

The left side shows a portrait of Walt that I've seen elsewhere, but I wonder if this was the first time it was used? I think it's interesting that the Matterhorn vehicles look like real bobsleds (complete with runners) shushing down icy trails, instead of like the roller coaster that it actually was. Artistic license? An early concept piece? Those folks in the Skyway gondolas are really crammed in there, but by golly, they are having the best time.

On the facing page, the subs are featured. What an ambitious and beautiful attraction! Has there ever been anything quite like it? Notice the skipper (in the drawing) popping out of the conning tower to wave to guests. I'd like to see that happen! The artist's concept manages to hint at lots of fun; man-eating sharks, a sunken galleon (filled with treasure, no doubt!), ruins (strongly resembling one of California's Spanish missions, complete with bronze bells) hinting at a sunken civilization, mermaids, and the thing that really gets me excited... KELP.

The back page highlights the Monorail, Motorboats, and the NEW Autopia freeways. Everyone is waving to each other. "Hello up there!". "Well, hello to you too, neighborino!". I count seven confirmed wavers on this page alone. The criss-crossing Monorails are reminiscent of John Hench's famous drawing. Meanwhile, Gramps holds on to his hat - can the human body withstand the stresses of traveling at seven miles per hour?